"J" asked: So is making and taking medicine wisdom, or no faith?
We answered:
What an awesome question and I am going to give you an awesome answer.....in fact, a life changer.
We know Proverbs 2:6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
The problem we had was the church did not give us the faith once delivered to the saints.
This is the lack of knowledge of the promises of God in the scriptures, and one reason God said "MY people PERISH for lack of knowledge"..
(BTW, today most medicine is nothing more than pharmakeia, i.e., drugs. Drugs don't cure, they only treat symptoms while the body heals.)
Does a healthy person "need" medicine? -of course not. WHAT causes a person to need medicine then? -It is because something is wrong with them, either sickness or infirmity.
So we then must ask WHY they are sick or infirm?
This is clear: Prov. 26:2 2 Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.
WHAT does God say about the "symptoms" we try and trea with "medicine"?
Deuteronomy 28:60 And he will bring upon thee again all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee
Deuteronomy 28:61 Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will Jehovah bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
Why sickness, disease, infirmity, etc?
Exodus 15:26 and he said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord, thy God, and will do that which is right in his eyes, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.
So we see sickness, and every plague are chastisements from the Lord to cause us to repent and bring correction.
Once you understand this, all the sick and dead people in church and around us in the world makes sense. King David said: "before I was afflicted, I went astray.. But now I observe thy word." ,
Job 34:31 For hath any said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more:. Peter wrote: 1st Peter 2:20 For what glory is it, if, when ye sin, and are buffeted for it, ye shall take it patiently? and he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; Isaiah 26:16 Jehovah, in trouble have they visited thee; they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.
Hebrews 12:11 Allchastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteousness If you do not know what the scriptures say about God's "chastening", the lesson and "wisdom" is missed...Wisdom is not the invention of a new drug or device to circumvent the curse.
When you realize God REALLY means what He says in the book, the fear of his chastisement brings us into a more careful desire to please him according to his Word.
NOW we are learning wisdom and understanding.
99.5% of Christians make no connection between their afflictions and God's chastisements. They run to doctors and meds to try and save themselves from the curse.
They are sick in the pulpits and sick in the pews.
The backsliders have plagues and troubles and do not understand why.
Their children are captive by the culture, taken by sickness, cancer, etc., and they do not know why.
God sent the curse to bring correction.... no one "got it". Have you ever wondered why Christians and churches are so plagued by afflictions, sickness, cancers, even the loss of jobs?
If Christians (God's New Testament people) are never under the curse anymore, then why are the very things mentioned in the curse happening in the lives of Christians?
Look WHO takes credit for doing this: 2nd Chronicles 21:14 Behold, The LORD will smite with a great plague thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy substance;
Deut. 28:59 says:
"then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.
In studying the scriptures i have found where God did this over and over, both in the old and NEW Testament.
2 Samuel 12:15 And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. 18 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. (Davids sin caused the curse)
We learned a lot of this the hard way ourselves because I was out of order as an elder in our old church, as were ALL of the elders and the pastor.
Deut 7:12 And it shall come to pass, because ye hearken to these ordinances, and keep and do them, that the LORD thy God will keep with thee the covenant and the lovingkindness which he sware unto thy fathers: (Our Covenant is the New one and we don't have all the ordinances like tithing, circumcision, sabbaths, offerings, etc. The apostles never put any of those yokes on the church. See Acts 15)
Deut 7:15 And the Lord will take away from thee all sickness; and none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, will he put upon thee, but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.
Psalm 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits:
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases;
Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of sickness among the people. (that sure isn't the same Jesus presented by most churches who claim Him!)
Matthew 9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of sickness.
Luke 9:6 And (His DISCIPLES) they departed, and went throughout the villages, preaching the gospel, and healing everywhere.
Acts 5:16 And there also came together the multitudes from the cities round about Jerusalem, bring sick folk, and them that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.
Hebrews 12:13 and make straight paths for your feet, that that which is lame be not turned out of the way, but rather be healed.
James 5:16 Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working.
1st Peter 2:24 who his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sin, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed.
Rory: "what do you want to put your faith in?"
Our problem is not a lack of medicine. Our problem, the churches HUGE problem, is they are not learning to, or putting their faith in what God says, as they put their faith in tithing, programs, counseling, doctors, medicine, etc.
Lastly, let's now look at what God says about DELIVERANCE from "the curse" of "every sickness", disease, affliction, infirmity:
Here is the Greek word for "salvation" and what it really means.
It is "sozo", meaning SAVED, HEALED, DELIVERED, MADE WHOLE, PRESERVED. "Sozo" is used 101 times in the New Testament as: bring...safely 1, cured 1, ensure salvation 1, get 1, get well 2, made...well 6, made well 5, preserved 1, recover 1, restore 1, save 36, saved 50, saves 1, saving 1
We find God is consistent from the Old through the New in this promise: (Our Covenant is the New one and we don't have all the ordinances like tithing, circumcision, sabbaths, offerings, etc. The apostles never put any of those yokes on the church.See Acts 15)
A better question might be "why does someone "need" medicine?"
What does God desire for us to do? -take medicine or exercise faith in what God says? Since we are not under law, Jesus said "be it unto you according to your faith".
Soon we will be in tribulation and the time will come when we cannot buy or sell, including meds and treatment. What will Christians do?
Job 36:
8 But if they are bound in chains,
and held captive by the cords of affliction,
9 then he reveals to them what they have done,
and their transgressions,
that they were behaving proudly.
10 And he reveals this for correction, and says that they must turn from evil.
11 ​ If they obey and serve him,
they live out their days in prosperity
and their years in pleasantness.
12 But if they refuse to listen,
they pass over the river of death,
and expire without knowledge.
15 He delivers the afflicted by their afflictions,
he reveals himself to them by their suffering.
